Dreams of Fire
by Katarena
Summary: "I'm sorry! I never meant for this to happen!" But that was her problem, Carla thought bitterly. She had never *intended* for certain things to happen, but they still kept taking place.
1. The Switch

_**DISCLAIMER: **_**I don't own anything. Pokémon is owned by Game Freak.**

**Dreams of Fire**

_**Chapter One**_

**The Switch**

Carla came downstairs to breakfast and almost immediately heard her father arguing with Glennis. She sighed, wondering if she should give them space or whether she could risk going into the kitchen to eat.

"You can't be serious, Dad!" Glennis protested.

"I'm _completely_ serious! Glennis, this is a good opportunity for you. There's still one Pokémon left at the lab; do you know how many people would love to have one of those?"

"Well, I'm not one of them! I don't want to be a trainer, full stop."

Carla leaned against the bannister, fiddling with her dirty-blonde hair. _I can't picture her as a trainer; if Dad wants to get her a Pokémon, why doesn't he just buy a Pokéball, take Nadine, Kelvin or Tyson out into the woods and catch one? Or buy one from a breeder?_

She got her answer a moment later.

"You can't just lounge around the house forever, Glen! You haven't lifted a finger to find a job - in fact, you don't seem to want to _do_ anything!"

"I don't want to go to that _stupid_ lab and get a..."

"Tough," Dad said sharply. "You're expected there at two this afternoon."

_Whoa. __**Expected**__ there?_

"What?" Glennis screeched. "No way!"

"They know you're coming; if you don't turn up, they're going to call me, and believe me, I won't be happy if they do."

"How the hell am I even going to get there without a Pokémon?"

"You can take Nadine or Kelvin with you; they'll keep wild Pokémon away from you." There was a pause before Dad spoke again. His voice was softer this time. "You're getting a pretty rare Pokémon from this. You're even getting a _Pokédex_. Not many people get that chance."

The kitchen door opened and he emerged, wearing his smart black trousers and a navy shirt. He smiled at Carla as he passed her, then headed up the stairs. Carla shook her head back and went into the kitchen.

She found her sister sitting at the table, eating a bowl of cereal. Glennis' hair was rumpled, and she was wearing her purple dressing-gown. "Hey, Carly," she said, without looking up.

"Hey." Carla took a nanab berry out of the cupboard and began to peel it.

"You overheard that, didn't you?"

Carla nodded. "I did, yeah." She sat down next to her sister and took a bite out of the berry. "What are you going to do? Are you going to go?" she asked with her mouth full.

Glennis huffed angrily. "Derek and I made plans to meet at two."

"Oh." Carla fought back a grimace. She had a less than flattering opinion of her sister's boyfriend.

"And now Dad's forcing me to get a Pokémon and go on a journey. Why can't he just leave me alone? He's so controlling, he's even..."

That was when the idea entered Carla's mind. She didn't have anything she needed to do today; Derek may have been arrogant and rude, but Glennis did enjoy spending time with him.

Besides, Carla thought she could do with some exercise, and a walk to Littleroot Town might be fun.

"Why don't I go and get the Pokémon for you?"

Glennis paused mid-rant. "What?"

"I'm serious. I could go instead of you."

"Yeah, but it's _me_ they're expecting."

"They've never met you. They're not going to know the difference between us. That way you can meet up with Derek, and meet your new Pokémon when you get home. But we'd better make sure we get home before Dad does."

Glennis smiled in relief. "Thanks, Carly!"

"Hey, what are sisters for?"

… … …

_What the hell was I thinking?_

Carla stared apprehensively at the laboratory doors in front of her. They were made of a thick opaque glass; Carla wondered if they would feel like ice if she touched them.

Nadine, Dad's Mightyena, growled softly and nudged her arm in an impatient manner.

"All right, all right. I'm going in." Carla fondled the Mightyena between her ears and took a deep breath before stepping through the automatic doors.

The walk to Littleroot Town had been relatively quiet, without too many wild Pokémon encounters. Fortunately, Carla was aware of the moves Nadine knew. It was only as they were walking that Carla began to feel a little nervous about what she was going to do.

_Too late now._

"Can I help you?"

A young woman wearing a long white coat stood in front of her. She had dark hair tied back in a ponytail and wore smart glasses.

Carla cleared her throat. "Yes, I'm here to receive a Pokémon. I was told to get here at two." She was glad her voice didn't sound at all shaky.

"You're Simon Delarue's daughter?"

"That's me!" Carla said, grinning and crossing her fingers behind her back.

The lab aide frowned slightly, tilting her head to one side.

"Everything OK...Suzanne?" asked Carla, squinting at the badge on the front of the aide's coat.

"Yes. Sorry, it's just that I was expecting someone a little older. If you follow me, I'll get you the papers and..."

"Wait, _papers_?"

Suzanne looked at Carla as if she was an idiot. "Every trainer needs a licence and an ID. That's the law."

_Oh. Crap. This is bad._

"Um...do they have to be filled out here? I mean, can I get the papers, go home and come back with them filled out? It's just that there's something I _really_ need to sort out at home."

"Well, there's no reason why you can't do that." Fortunately, Suzanne didn't seem to think there was anything suspicious about Carla's request. "But you're going to have to come back before seven pm; that's when the lab closes."

Carla sighed with relief. "Not a problem."

"Good. Oh, and if you've got a small passport-sized photo of yourself, you can bring it with you if you life. We do take photos for IDs here, of course, if you don't have any."

Carla knew her sister did have a few photos of that size. "OK."

"The Mightyena can wait here, if you'd like."

Nadine nodded her head once in reply before going and sitting next to the wall.

"I'll be back soon," Carla promised her.

"Now, if you'll follow me, I'll give you your Pokédex and introduce you to your new partner." Suzanne started walking down the hallway. Carla followed her, silently praying that Suzanne wouldn't be working when Glennis showed up with the signed papers and small photo. The two sisters didn't look remotely similar to each other. As well as their hair colour being completely different, Carla had light grey eyes and Glennis had hazel eyes. Carla was three years younger than Glennis, and knew she looked it.

"We've only got one Pokémon available, I'm afraid."

"I already knew that. It's OK, I'm not picky about what I start with."

"That makes a nice change. Some beginner trainers take ages to choose what they want."

"What happens if more than one person wants the same starter?"

Suzanne chuckled at that. "You'd be surprised how little fuss there is! Sometimes one of the trainers decides to wait until the starter of their choice is sent to the lab again. Other times, the trainers just can't wait to get going, so they pick another Pokémon instead. Ah, here we are!"

They had reached a table, on which lay a small red machine and a single Pokéball. Suzanne picked up the Pokéball, pressed the button to enlargen it and tossed it casually into the air. A bundle of orange feathers emerged and landed lightly on the lab floor. Two bright little eyes like living jet stones stared up at Carla.

One look at the tiny creature and Carla felt her heart melt. "Hi," she said, kneeling down in front of it. "You are such a cutie!"

"Ah, you think she's cute _now_. All the starters are cute, but they evolve into some pretty tough fighters. Even a Meganium can be a powerhouse if it's in the hands of a competent trainer, and they're as gentle as a Deerling. Well, most of the time, anyway." Suzanne folded her arms. "She's already been trained respond to commands, but she'll answer to _you_ more easily if you give her a name."

Carla suddenly remembered what she was doing at the lab. She bit her bottom lip, trying in vain to fight an unwelcome wave of jealousy towards her sister.

_I can't give this Torchic a name. She isn't my Pokémon._

"I'll think of one later. I'm not good at making things up on the spot."

Suzanne handed Carla the Pokédex and gave her instructions on how to use it. She didn't seem to notice Carla was only vaguely taking them in.

"I think that's everything," Suzanne announced. "If I don't see you later today, good luck with your journey!"

… … …

Carla looked at her watch anxiously. It was half past four and Glennis still wasn't back.

_Hurry up, Glen. Dad'll be home at five._

She was sitting on the sofa in the living-room, aimlessly watching a cartoon. Her gaze kept falling on the Pokéball on the table in front of her. It was like a magnet.

It occurred to her that maybe the Torchic was hungry. Kelvin and Nadine had been fed at midday; Carla had no idea when the Torchic had last eaten. She picked up the Pokéball and called the small bird out.

"Are you hungry?" Carla asked her. The Torchic cheeped loudly in response, making Carla smile.

"Come on and have a snack."

She walked through to the pantry, chose a can of Pokémon food and opened it. She turned around to find a spare feeding bowl - and nearly fell over the Torchic, who was standing dangerously near to her ankle.

"Don't stand so close!" Carla scolded. "I almost tripped over you."

The Torchic let out a soft _peep_, her black eyes full of apology.

Much to Carla's frustration, the spare feeding bowl was nowhere to be found. Carla reached into the can, picked out a few pieces of food and knelt in front of the Torchic.

"Here you go," she said, holding out the food. After a moment of hesitation, the bird hopped forwards and ate the small brown tablets out of Carla's hand. When she had finished eating, Carla walked back through to the living-room. She glanced down and smiled to see the Torchic following close behind her.

With a sigh, she sat back down on the sofa. The Torchic hopped up next to her and snuggled into her side.

"You're so soft," Carla murmured, stroking the downy head. The Torchic made a small throaty sound and nestled a little closer.

_It's like having a feathery hot water bottle._ Carla watched as the beady black eyes closed; before long, the little bird was asleep.

Twenty minutes later, Carla heard the front door open. She tensed, but then exhaled in relief when her sister's voice called: "Hello! Anyone home?"

"I'm in here!"

Glennis bounced into the room, a broad grin on her face. "Hi, Carly! I'm back." The grin quickly faded when she saw the Torchic. "Is that my new Pokémon?"

Carla nodded. A horrible feeling of unease was beginning to stir in her gut.

"Glennis, I think we've got a problem."

… … …

"Dad, please can I explain what happened?" Carla fiddled with the hem of her navy T-shirt, only just meeting her father's eyes. They were a light grey, the exact shade Carla's were.

"Go on." His voice was quiet and flat.

"I went in Glennis' place to get the Pokémon from the lab. I didn't sign the paperwork for the licence or anything, it's all back here. I was going to give the Torchic to Glennis when she got home, I really was, but..." Carla swallowed hard. "Dad, she thinks _I'm_ her trainer."

Her father raised both eyebrows. Desperately hoping that was a good sign, Carla continued speaking.

"I'm sorry this has happened, Dad. I swear I didn't mean for it to go this way." She hated the way the words came out of her mouth; they sounded like pathetic excuses - in other words, pretty much what they were.

"It does seem to like you," Glennis remarked suddenly.

Carla had nearly forgotten her sister was even in the room. She looked down to see the Torchic standing by her feet again. "Yeah, I think she does." She smiled as the bird cheeped loudly.

"This wasn't supposed to be your chance, Carla. This was meant for your sister," Dad said. He didn't sound angry, and Carla felt a surge of relief. When Simon Delarue was angry with his daughters, he made sure that they knew it.

"If I thought you planned this, you would be in so much trouble."

"I know. I'm sorry I went behind your back."

"What are you going to name your Torchic?" Dad asked, leaning against the kitchen sideboard. The fact that he changed the subject was the only sign Carla had that the previous conversation was over, and it wasn't to be brought up again. It was also Dad's way of saying the apologies had been accepted.

"_My_ Torchic? She isn't my Pokémon."

"Oh, yes she is. She's definitely yours now."

"Come _on,_ Dad." Glennis flipped a strand of her brown hair out of her face. "You know there's no way _I'd_ want it. I told you that. Besides, you said the lab closes at seven, so you'd better hurry up and get going."

Carla's head was whirling. The truth was that she hadn't planned on becoming a trainer any more than her sister had. But then, it was pretty likely their dad would have made _her_ become a trainer at some point.

_I got myself into this,_ she reminded herself. _Now I just have to deal with it._

She picked the Torchic up in her arms. _I should call her something simple; a long name might sound silly in battle._

"What do you think of 'Kess' for a name?"

"Chic!"

"Kess it is."

"Don't think _you're_ getting out of this, missy." Dad pointed at Glennis. "You may not have a lab starter, but you're still going to become a trainer."

"What?"

Ignoring her outraged cry, Dad continued: "And what's more, Carla is going to catch you a Pokémon - aren't you, Carla?"

Carla nodded in reply. She couldn't think of anything else to do.

"Good. That's settled, then." With that Dad walked out of the kitchen, leaving his older daughter spluttering in rage and the younger staring after him.

Carla was the first to break the silence. "Want me to catch anything specific?" she asked feebly.

"Specific?"

"Might as well be something you choose and not the first thing I come across."

"All right." Glennis put her hands on her hips and glared at her sister. "Get me a Bug-type - but not a lame one like a Wurmple. Catch something really rare, and it had _better be awesome_." She whirled around and stormed out of the kitchen.

Carla was alone with Kess. She sighed and buried her face in the Torchic's neck. "Well, that could have gone worse," she mumbled, her voice muffled by the soft orange feathers.

Kess chirruped once and nipped at Carla's ear.

… … …

Carla bit back a groan as she felt the first few spots of rain on her head. _Great._ She untied her hoodie from around her waist and pulled it on, yanking the hood up.

She looked at her (thankfully waterproof) watch. It was half-past eight in the evening.

_When people talk about what wonderful experiences they had as trainers, they don't talk about being alone in the woods when it's dark __**and**__ when it's raining. I don't even know how far ahead Petalburg is._

Carla looked around her, trying in vain to spot anything resembling a sign. Even if she had seen one, she wouldn't have been able to see it. The trees were blending slowly into the murky darkness; reading from a sign would have been impossible.

She couldn't even see any wild Pokémon.

_They've probably been sensible and gone to find shelter._

Carla carried on walking, making sure she stayed on the path. She didn't fancy tripping over any exposed tree roots. Fortunately it wasn't raining that heavily...yet.

_Hang on..._ Carla stopped and stared right ahead of her. _Is that what I think it is?_

There was a light between the trees: a warm yellow glow that reminded Carla of a fireside. She quickened her pace; before long she found herself in a clearing with a small wooden house in the centre. The light was coming from one of the windows, making the building look inviting.

Carla had once heard it wasn't unusual for trainers to take refuge in empty buildings, but this one didn't look like it _was_ empty. She'd also been told that sometimes complete strangers would let trainers stay in their homes - only for a short time, of course.

She had no idea how far she was from Petalburg. It was dark and raining, and Carla's feet ached from all the walking she had done. This was probably the closest thing to a shelter she was going to find at this hour, and there was no way she was going to let Kess out in the rain. Carla began walking towards the little house, trying to ignore the fact that her hoodie and jeans were steadily growing damper.

Her plan was to knock and ask if she could stay the night. But just when she was about to rap on the wooden door, it occurred to her that maybe nobody was actually in. Sometimes her dad would leave lights on in the house to give the illusion that somebody was in.

She edged around to the lit window and peered cautiously through the glass.

A square wooden table was positioned close to the window. The man sitting at the table was leaning his elbows on the hard surface, resting his chin on his hands. His hair and beard were black with grey flecks; he wore a black T-shirt and had what looked like numerous bracelets on his wrists. He glanced briefly towards the far left corner of the room, then back down at the table.

Carla looked in the direction the stranger had. She saw a young woman sitting in a chair facing the wall. Her hands were restrained behind the back of the chair, and ropes held both her upper arms and her ankles. She turned her head slightly, revealing the gag tied over her mouth.

_What the __**hell**__?_

Just then, the man at the table moved. Carla dropped to her knees, one hand clapped over her mouth.

_This isn't happening. This __**can't be happening!**_

**To be continued…**


	2. The Cabin In The Woods

_**DISCLAIMER: **_**See Chapter One.**

_**Chapter Two**_

**The Cabin In The Woods**

Carla knelt in the wet grass, taking deep breaths through her nose. Her heart was racing faster than it had possibly ever done in her life.

She couldn't believe this. This was the sort of thing that happened in books.

_That girl in there's probably a hell of a lot more scared than I am._

Once she was relatively calm, she pulled her phone out of her bag and lit up the screen. The meter that signalled how much signal there was in the area was completely empty. Carla nearly screamed in frustration and only just stopped herself from throwing the phone as far away from her as she could.

Since there was no signal, there was no way she could call the police. She couldn't yell out for help either; the man inside would hear her and then she'd end up bound and gagged as well.

_I can't go looking for help. I don't think anyone's going to be around, and I can't just leave her like this._

Carla frantically tried to think of another option. Outright confronting the man wasn't a good idea. He most likely had Pokémon that were bigger, tougher and _meaner_ than Kess. Carla hadn't bothered to catch anything during the two hours she'd spent in the wild; even if she had, they wouldn't stand a chance against anything _he_ might have.

_I might be able to get her out of that chair if he's not in the room. Then we can run for it. But how the hell do I get him to leave the room or the cabin?_

It needed to be something that would distract him for long enough. Something like an unfamiliar noise, or a scary shape outside the window, or...

_...Or a fire._

Carla could easily do it. She had a Torchic, which was a Fire-type; if Kess knew the right attack, it wouldn't be at all difficult to set fire to something. If the man ignored it, he would be either stupid, suicidal, or very ruthless. Even if he ran off to save himself, that would give Carla enough time to free the girl inside. She fumbled in her bag until she found her Pokédex.

_OK, how do I find out what attacks Kess can use?_

Immediately upon being opened, the Pokédex's screen lit up. Carla quickly edged slightly away from the cabin's window, wiping away the raindrops that were falling on the screen. She took out Kess' Pokéball, glancing fearfully in the direction of the cabin door. Her hands were shaking so much, she could barely press the right buttons. Eventually, she figured out how to scan the Pokéball.

_She knows Ember._

Carla slowly put the Pokédex away, trying to think of a way she could call her Torchic out without alerting _him_. Even if she didn't call Kess' name, the sound of the Pokéball opening would definitely cause attention.

_OK, the grass and trees are wet but they should still catch fire. If he doesn't call the fire brigade, we can, and..._

Except she couldn't call anyone if she didn't have any signal on her phone.

_What if he doesn't either? What if he doesn't even have a __**phone**__? The fire brigade might not even know where we are if they __**do**__ get a call._

She remembered seeing a news story on television nine months ago. A group of former Team Magma grunts had set a fire in Petalburg Woods. The fire had apparently started small, but it had spread quickly and completely destroyed a small section of the forest. Carla could still recall the shapes of the blackened, smoking stumps. It had been raining that day too, but that hadn't been enough to extinguish the flames.

Carla was beginning to feel sick. What had she been thinking? She couldn't do that.

She needed to come up with a plan B, and fast.

Very slowly, Carla got to her feet, slipping Kess' Pokéball into her hoodie pocket. She edged warily around the cabin, all the while keeping an eye out for him or for any other menacing shapes in the darkness. The cabin was much larger than she thought it was.

_There has to be another way in. Please, please let there be another way..._

She noticed a small black square in the middle of the cabin's wall. It was a window. She reached up and felt the cold glass, hoping against hope for a latch.

Suddenly her fingers hit something wooden. She felt it cautiously, running her fingertips across the solid edge.

The window wasn't entirely closed.

Carla almost laughed out loud, unwilling to believe her luck.

_OK. Here goes._

Slowly, ever so slowly, she began to ease the window open, praying to Latias that it wouldn't creak. When that side was fully open, she did the same with the other. When she peered inside all she could see was blackness, except for a tiny sliver of yellow light that must have been coming from under a door.

Carla picked up her bag and hoisted it onto her shoulder. She didn't want to risk leaving anything of hers outside. Carla put her hands on the wooden sill and hauled herself upwards, gasping as the hard wooden ledge made contact with her stomach. It took effort, but she managed to shift herself around until she was able to swing first one leg up and then the other. Once she was sitting on the sill, she paused for a moment to get her breath back, rubbing at her stomach. She listened, but no sound came from the other room. She lowered herself off the ledge and into the cabin, hoping that there wasn't a Pokémon waiting beneath her to savage her legs off.

As soon as her feet landed on the wooded floor, she froze and watched the chink of light beneath the door. But no large shadow appeared to investigate the slight noise. Carla slowly and carefully closed the window, but didn't shut it entirely for fear of making noise.

_Now what do I do?_

After a while, Carla's eyes became accustomed to the darkness. She took out her phone and pressed the button to illuminate the screen. From what little light there was, she saw a bed and a small bedside table with a lamp on it. A large rucksack had been placed just by the door.

_Maybe there's a weapon inside._

Carla crept towards the rucksack, stepping as slowly and as quietly as possible. She was just about to unzip it when there was a creak from behind the door. Carla stood up and darted towards the bed, flattening herself against the wall.

The door opened and the light came on. Carla screwed up her eyes, blinking until they stopped watering. She covered her mouth with one hand, terrified _he_ would hear her breathing.

The man in black stepped purposefully into the room and knelt beside the rucksack. He unzipped it and reached inside, pulling out an oran berry.

It was then that Carla noticed the lamp wasn't plugged into anything. She picked it up in trembling hands, clutching it tightly.

Just then, the man glanced to his left and froze, staring at the window. Before he could move, Carla seized her chance. She stepped forwards and swung the lamp as hard as she could, catching him on his temple as he turned around. He fell over backwards and crumpled heavily to the floor.

Carla dropped the lamp and ran into the other room; she hurried over to the girl and untied her gag. Now she saw her up close, Carla noticed she was probably about Glennis' age. As soon the strip of cloth was out of her mouth, the girl asked, "Where's..."

"I managed to knock him out, but we don't have much time. He'll probably wake up soon."

Carla knelt down to untie the girl's hands, but stopped when she saw what was restraining them.

"_Handcuffs?_ Oh, you've gotta be kidding."

"Use one of my hairclips."

Carla looked up; the young woman's ochre-coloured hair was indeed pinned up by several small, thin clips. She stood and took a clip out, knelt back down and inserted the clip into one of the locks, twisting it about. After a few seconds that seemed to last for hours, the lock clicked and the left cuff opened. Carla glanced behind her, but there was no sign of the man in black, so she quickly got to the work on the other cuff.

"If you untie my arms, I'll do my ankles."

"OK." The handcuffs fell to the floor as Carla stood and began fumbling with the knot. It took her longer than the handcuffs did; whoever that man was, Carla thought angrily, he knew how to tie a knot.

Once the girl was free and out of the chair, Carla grabbed her arm. "We have to get out of here _now_."

"Wait," the girl said, pulling back. "He's got my Linny."

"What?"

"Linny's my Pokémon. He's..." Her voice dwindled and her eyes widened, staring behind Carla's right shoulder. Carla's mouth went dry. Slowly, she turned around.

A white Pokémon with red markings stood a little way behind them. It was crouched low to the ground, tail swishing aggressively. Its red eyes were slits of menace and a growl rumbled in its throat. As the girls watched, it slowly rose to stand on its hind legs.

"It's _his_, isn't it?" Carla heard herself ask.

"Yup."

"Have you got anything other than Linny?"

The girl shook her head and replied in a fearful whisper: "He's the only Pokémon I have. Do _you_ have anything?"

"Well, yeah, but..."

"Good. You distract the Zangoose while I go and get Linny." Before Carla could protest, she was hurrying towards another door. The Zangoose immediately bounded after her with a snarl.

Carla quickly pulled Kess' Pokéball out of her pocket. "Hey, furball!" She hurled the capsule into the air and Kess emerged, landing lightly on the floor.

"Kess, use Scratch on that Zangoose!"

The Torchic immediately launched herself at the Zangoose, using her tiny claws to scratch at its head. It shrugged her off effortlessly, causing her to fall with a little squawk.

Suddenly the Zangoose seemed to realise its trainer wasn't appearing to give it commands in battle. It looked around frantically for a moment, then fully noticed Carla and Kess for the first time. It stood on its hind legs again, towering over the orange bird. The expression on its face was one of murderous rage.

Carla's mouth went dry.

The Zangoose growled again, its claws turning white.

_It's going to attack._

"Quick, Kess, use Ember!" Carla cried.

Kess opened her beak and shot small flames right into the Zangoose's face. It yowled, taking a pace backwards and bringing its paws up to shield its eyes.

"Come on!" The girl had emerged, holding a Pokéball in one hand. She ran over to Carla and grabbed her wrist. "Let's go!"

"But what about the Zan..."

"He'll try to help his trainer. Let's get out of here!"

Carla didn't need to be told a third time. She returned Kess and followed her companion out of the cabin.

The two girls ran through the woods. Carla had no idea where they were going; all she knew was that she was being pulled away from the cabin and into the darkness. She held tight to Kess' Pokéball, terrified she would drop it.

They kept on running. Carla's feet ached, her lungs were burning and her left arm felt as though it was about to be yanked out of its socket.

"Please stop," she wheezed. "I can't breathe."

The girl came to a halt, releasing Carla's wrist. Carla dropped to her knees and took deep, gasping breaths. After a while, her vision cleared and she stood up, slipping the Pokéball into her pocket. "I'm OK now," she said. "Sorry 'bout that."

She looked around her and saw they were in another clearing. A small lake lay to their right; the surface of the water rippled slightly with each falling raindrop. Carla could see small twinkling lights just ahead of them.

"That's Petalburg City," her companion said. "It's not too far away."

"Do you think he's still after us?"

"I don't think so. He shouldn't be."

The girls started walking towards Petalburg. Carla's hood had fallen down; when a slight breeze blew the raindrops into her face, she pulled her hood back up again. The girl walking beside her wasn't so lucky.

"Should we find the police station in Petalburg?" Carla asked after a few minutes.

"Why?"

"Why? He had you tied up and gagged! He was probably going to steal your Pokémon, or _worse_."

"There are people like that all over the world. It's not the first time I've had someone try and steal Linny and it probably won't be the last. I'll go to the station in the morning, but he'll probably be miles away by then. Hey, listen, um..." The girl turned and smiled at Carla. "Thank you for helping me. I was in real trouble there."

"You're welcome," Carla replied. "I was glad to do it. Besides, I couldn't just leave you there with him."

"I have to ask - how'd you take him out?"

"He had his back to me and I had a lamp in my hands." Carla yelped as she tripped over an exposed tree root, but her new friend caught her by the arms and steadied her. "Thanks."

"No problem. Hey, I feel so awkward - you saved me and I haven't asked your name yet!"

"I haven't exactly asked yours either. My name's Carla."

"I'm Emily. Nice to meet you, Carla."

After half an hour of weary trudging, they reached Petalburg City. Much to Carla's relief, the Pokémon Centre was the first building she saw.

"Handy, right? They're still open, if you want to stay in one of their rooms," Emily said. "It's free."

"That's great," Carla replied, yawning loudly.

"I'll see you around, Carla."

"Wait - aren't you going to stay at the Centre as well?"

Emily shook her head. "I don't need to. I've got friends here; they'll let me stay with them tonight." She smiled and put a hand on Carla's shoulder. "Thanks again, Carla. I owe you big time." With that, she walked off into the city, leaving Carla standing outside the Centre.

**To be continued…**


	3. We're Going On A Bug Hunt

_**DISCLAIMER: **_**See Chapter One.**

_**Chapter Three**_

**We're Going On A Bug Hunt**

Carla felt something soft and warm snuggle into her neck. She murmured sleepily and wrapped her arms around it. It wriggled around, claws scrabbling against her pyjama top. Carla quickly opened her eyes and sat upright, placing Kess on the duvet.

"I'm sorry, Kess," she said. "You're hungry, aren't you?"

She looked at her phone; it was half past nine in the morning. Her dad's team usually ate around eight, or half past eight at the latest.

"Yup, you're probably hungry. Let's go downstairs and get some breakfast."

_I can't sleep this late again, and I certainly can't neglect my Pokémon._

Carla quickly got dressed in a dark green tracksuit. Much to her surprise, the nurse on reception had said (after taking one look at Carla's wet, mud-stained jeans) that Pokémon Centres also offered a cleaning service. Carla eagerly jumped at the opportunity.

After locking her room, she headed towards the canteen with Kess hopping beside her. Most of the food was gone, but Carla got herself a bowl of cereal and a small selection of Pokémon food for Kess. She sat at a table and placed the food in front of the Torchic.

Kess tilted her head to one side and looked down at the bowl.

"Go on, Kess - try them!" Carla encouraged, hoping that she would show which food she preferred.

Kess ate the entire bowl in three minutes flat without stopping.

"OK, so you're not fussy. That's good." Carla finished off her toast. "Nadine's a _really_ fussy eater. She won't eat anything unless its this type of food Dad orders specially. She must have been a nightmare to feed while they were travelling."

She looked at the table closest to them. The trainer sitting at it was a man possibly in his late twenties; he was wearing a dusty green jacket and worn jeans. His team consisted of a Scyther, a Heracross, a Combee, a Ledian and a Dustox.

Carla picked Kess up and walked towards the group. "Excuse me?" she asked.

The man glanced at her. His face was deeply tanned, making his bright blue eyes stand out sharply. "Yeah?"

"May I ask you something?"

He took a swig of dark liquid Carla assumed was coffee. "What is it?"

"You specialise in Bug-types, right? Well, I was wondering, do you know anything about Bug-types found in Hoenn?"

The trainer snorted. "Course I can. Names, locations, attacks, breeding stats...you name it. Why, you after something specific?"

"Rare and awesome. It's not for me," Carla added quickly when she saw the look on his face. "It's for my sister."

"Isn't she gonna catch one for herself?"

"I kind of said I'll do it. It'll be her starter."

He gestured towards the spare chair. "Take a seat and I'll tell you 'bout them. Name's Steve."

"I'm Carla." Carla sat down, holding Kess on her lap.

Steve leaned back in his chair and had a sip of coffee. "Guessing you're rulin' Wurmples out."

"Definitely."

"OK. You said 'rare', so she probably ain't gonna want a Nincada. Shame - their evolved forms are strong. I'd go for a Pinsir or a Scyther for power, but you said it's gonna be her starter and if you don't know what you're doing with those two, you're in trouble. Volbeat and Illumise are between Mauville City and Verdanturf Town."

Carla leaned forwards, resting her elbows on the table. "What do they look like?"

"I can show you." Steve pulled two photographs out of his bag and placed them on the table. Carla studied them closely.

"She might like that one," she said, pointing at the one on the right.

"That's Illumise; species is female only."

Carla nodded. She had to admit that Illumise were actually quite pretty, with big baby-blue eyes and dainty wings.

"But there's a Bug-type in Hoenn that's really rare. It's Surskit; you can find it around here, if you know where to look. It's half-Water, half-Bug and evolves into Masquerain. Wanna take a look?" Steve took another photograph from his bag and handed it to Carla.

Carla's eyes widened when she saw the picture. "Whoa. Now _that_ looks awesome."

"And it knows some pretty neat moves too."

"You said you can find Surskit locally. Where do I catch one?" Carla could hear the eagerness in her voice.

"What you do is you go to the small lake nearby, find a place to hide and wait. It takes ages and you need to be patient, but a Surskit will appear; wait to see if it gets close enough to you or it comes onto land. That's the best time to catch it. If it stays on the water, best thing to do is chuck a Pokéball at it and pray. Don't worry about it sinkin'; Pokéballs are waterproof and they're designed to float Hey, you might even get lucky and find a Surskit on land anyway."

Carla remembered seeing the lake the previous night. "Thanks, Steve."

Steve grinned and raised his cup. "Happy huntin'."

xxx

arla leaned back against the tree, sighing heavily and tossing a Pokéball up and down. Steve had said catching a Surskit would take ages and would need patience. The trouble was that Carla had been waiting by the lake for two hours and she was nearing the end of her patience. During that time, she had seen two Surskit; one hadn't come anywhere near her and the other had drawn near but then skimmed away again.

"Let's hope it's third time lucky," she muttered.

The lake was peaceful and calm; sunlight gleamed on the surface. The leaves on the trees rustled lightly, the more slender trees swaying gently with the breeze. It was a beautiful scene, one that Carla found herself admiring despite her boredom.

_Wish I'd thought to bring a snack out here._

Kess was nestled against Carla's side, eyes closed. Carla wasn't sure if she was dozing or sleeping.

Suddenly a tiny blue figure skimmed across the water's surface. Carla sat up, startling Kess awake. "Shh," she said quietly to the little bird. "There's another one."

They watched as the Surskit gradually came closer to them. It moved with ease, weaving on top of the water with a dancer's grace.

_Come on,_ Carla thought desperately. _Just a little nearer..._

The small blue creature skimmed so close to the lake edge it looked as though it was about to jump onto land.

Carla hurled the Pokéball at it with all her might. The capsule hit the Surskit and opened, sucking the Bug-type inside. It splashed gently onto the lake surface and stayed there, rocking from side to side.

_Latias, please let me catch it. Please please please..._

The Pokéball stopped moving.

"Yes! Thank you!" Carla slipped off her trainers and socks, rolled up the legs of her tracksuit and waded out to pick up the capsule.

_Let's hope Glennis likes it._

Whilst waiting for her feet to dry, she scanned the Surskit's Pokéball with her Pokédex.

_Whoops - let's hope she likes __**him**__._

xxx

Posting the Pokéball to her house and retrieving her clean clothes from the Centre's laundrette took very little time. Once she was back in her room, Carla let Kess out, sat on the bed and called her sister's mobile. Glennis answered on the second attempt.

"Hey, Glen."

"Carly? What's up?"

"Nothing much." Carla leaned back against the pillow. "Just wanted to let you know your new friend is on his way to you."

"What? You've already found me something?"

"Yup. It's a male Surskit, rarest Bug-type native to Hoenn. He's half-Water, so..."

"Is it awesome?"

"He's going to _evolve_ into something awesome."

"What moves does it know?"

Carla rolled her eyes. "The Surskit's a _he_, Glen. He's going to be your Pokémon; you can't just call him 'it' all the time. That's not nice." Quickly changing the subject, she said: "I've no idea what moves he knows; I forgot to look at that when I scanned him with my Pokédex. You can check at the Pokémon Centre."

"I can't go all the way to Petalburg just to check..."

"There's a Centre in Oldale, dummy."

"Oh. Well, what time will he be here?"

"Few hours, I think. I paid extra for a courier. How's Dad?"

"He's fine," Glennis said shortly.

Carla paused before speaking again. There was something that had been niggling away at the back of her mind ever since she had caught the Surskit. "Glen, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Was there a reason you wanted a Bug-type? I don't have anything against them; I just wondered why you'd want one as a starter."

"Oh. Uh...I just remembered that Mark started with a Grass-type and I guess I wanted something a little edgier."

Carla looked guiltily down at the Torchic that was now pecking at the straps of her bag. "Don't do that, Kess," she called, taking the phone away from her ear. Kess hopped a few steps away from the bag.

"Wait, who?" Carla asked, turning her attention back to the phone call. "Who's Mark?"

She heard her sister sigh on the other end of the line. "Mark Bolaine, Carly. Come on, you've _got_ to remember the Bolaines."

"Um...no, I don't."

"What? They lived on the street next to ours. The family moved to Fortree about...what, four years ago now? You must have met them at least once."

"Maybe I did. I just can't _remember_ them."

"OK. Both the Bolaine boys had black hair. Does that ring a bell?"

_Seven-year-old Carla was walking back to her house with her sister on one summer afternoon. Both of them were carrying ice-cream cones. The sun's rays touched Carla's skin and the chocolate-flavoured ice-cream was cold on her lips and tongue._

_Suddenly Glennis pushed at her shoulder, almost making her drop her ice-cream. "Let's go, Carly." She walked on, Carla hurrying to catch up with her._

_Carla turned her head to see two boys on the opposite side of the street. Both of them had black hair and they were glowering in Carla and Glennis' direction. Carla quickly looked away and followed her sister._

"...Yeah, I think it does. Good luck with the Surskit."

"Thanks for getting him for me. See ya!"

"You're welcome," Carla said, but Glennis had already hung up. She put the phone down on her bed, walked over to Kess and knelt beside her.

"Hey," she said softly. "We're going to have to do some training after lunch. You ready for that?"

Kess chirped loudly.

xxx

_Three hours later_

Carla trudged wearily back to the Pokémon Centre, clutching Kess' Pokéball in one hand. _I guess training is just as tiring for the trainer as it is for the Pokémon_.

The training itself had started quite well. It had been easy to find some wild Pokémon - mostly Zigzagoon and Poochyena - and battle them. Carla quickly found out that training wasn't going to be easy even though Kess responded to orders.

She tried hard not think about what would have happened with the Zangoose if Kess had chosen to ignore her.

Only two trainers challenged them during that time. Luckily for Carla and Kess, their opponents only had had Wurmple, Zigzagoon and Seedot on their teams.

"You're lucky I didn't catch that Lotad I saw this morning," one of the trainers had said as she was walking away. "I'd have thrashed you and your chicken."

It was only when they encountered a particularly vicious Poochyena (that knew Ice Fang of all things) that Carla decided it might be a good idea to actually catch something. Unfortunately, she had forgotten she didn't have any spare Pokéballs. Their only option was to defeat the Poochyena and then head back to Petalburg City.

"Hello again, Miss Delarue," the nurse said as Carla walked up to the desk. "The Torchic again, is it?"

"Yeah. Thanks." Carla placed Kess' Pokéball on the counter, smiled at the nurse and headed over to the giant television set on the wall. At that moment, the screen showed a cartoon of a young boy walking down a path with his Butterfree flying alongside him.

"Boring." The voice belonged to a spindly boy with short red hair. He pressed a button on the side of the screen and the picture changed.

"Hey! I was watching that!" someone protested.

"Not any more, you aren't. Can't believe people still _like_ that old garbage." The boy pressed another button.

An image of what looked like a burned house appeared on the screen. The little house had stood in the middle of a wood, but now all that was left of it was smoking remains. Some broken and blackened planks stood upwards, looking as sharp as knives. Text ran along the bottom of the screen, but Carla paid no attention to it.

"Turn on the sound."

"What?" the boy scoffed. "I can't do that. There _is_ no sound on these things."

Bile rose up in Carla's throat. She recognised that place. It looked different in the daylight, but there was no mistaking it.

It was the cabin in the woods.

_I'm going to be sick._

Carla turned around and ran towards the ladies' toilets, holding her breath to keep the bile at bay. She pushed open the door, darted past a black-haired girl and knelt in front of the nearest toilet, retching violently until nothing came up.

She couldn't stop shivering. The entre Centre was heated, but Carla felt very, very cold.

**To be continued…**


	4. Ferry

_**DISCLAIMER: **_**See Chapter One.**

_**Chapter Four**_

**Ferry**

"Are you OK?"

Carla emerged from the stall, blinking back tears. As her vision cleared, she saw the girl she'd pushed past earlier standing in front of her.

"Are you OK?" she repeated. Her black hair was cut very short and she had bright hazel eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks. Sorry about that."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I probably ate something I shouldn't have."

The girl grimaced. "That's _easy_ to do in the wild. I found the best thing to do is just leave something if you're not sure about it."

Carla nodded and smiled. She walked towards the basin and began to wash her hands.

"If you're stuck for food, there are a _lot_ of berry trees around Hoenn," the girl continued. "Just watch out for the tamato berries - those things are seriously spicy."

"Do you know a lot about berries?" Carla asked, drying her hands. The towel felt rough against her skin.

"I do - I grew up on _the_ berry farm."

Carla hung up the towel, smiled at the girl again and headed for the door. Much to her discomfort, her new acquaintance followed her out of the toilets.

"Miss McBride?" the nurse at the desk called.

"That's me!" replied the black-haired girl cheerfully.

"Your Cleffa's ready for you."

"Thanks! See you around, OK?"

Carla found herself standing alone in the middle of the Centre. Her thoughts were in a whirl; she closed her eyes to try and collect herself, but all she could see was the burnt-out cabin.

_I told Kess to use Ember in a wooden cabin. What the hell was I thinking? I could have __**killed**__ somebody if that fire had spread!_

Carla felt her innards turn to ice.

As far as she knew, that black-haired man had been unconscious when the fire started.

_I __**could**__ have killed somebody._

She forced herself to walk over to the desk. Her fists were clenched in an effort to keep her hands from shaking. "Excuse me," she asked, "but is there a computer here I could use? Just for a few minutes?"

"We do allow trainers to use our computers, but only for half an hour at a time. They may not be free at the moment." The nurse looked up from her papers and frowned as she saw Carla's face. Like Suzanne from the lab, she too had a name badge; this one had _Elena_ written on it. "Are you all right? You look a bit pale."

"I'm fine, thank you."

"If you follow me, I'll show you where the computers are."

Carla walked behind Elena, not really registering where they were going. Elena opened a door to a small back room. "Ah, you're in luck," she said. "Turns out none of our computers are being used. Just sit down at one and do what you need to do, but there is a timer. Oh, and we'd appreciate it if you didn't look at any...indecent images."

Without replying to Elena's last sentence, Carla sat down at the nearest computer. She opened up a new internet window and typed in the words 'fire' 'cabin' and 'Petalburg'.

_If it was on TV, it's bound to be on the internet._

Sure enough, there were two short articles about that particular fire. Carla held her breath and clicked on the one at the top of the list. Her heart was racing again.

_It'll say if there were any fatalities. Please, Arceus, __**please**__ don't let anyone have died!_

She read both of the articles, frantically staring at the screen for anything that might tell her what had happened to the man she had knocked unconscious. But there was nothing. It didn't even say if there were any bodies, human or Pokémon, found in the cabin.

Carla sighed, almost overwhelmed by the relief she was feeling. But then she sat upright, an expression of determination on her face. She wasn't going to let anything like that happen again.

_I need a Water-type. I'm not going to stop using Kess, so I need something in case something catches fire again._

She remembered what the female trainer she had beaten earlier had said: _You're lucky I didn't catch that Lotad I saw this morning. I'd have thrashed you and your chicken._

Since she was now finished with the computer, she left the back room and stepped into the entrance hall.

"Perfect timing, Miss Delarue!" Elena said as Carla approached her desk. "Your Torchic's ready for you." She placed Kess' Pokéball into Carla's hand.

"Thank you. Can I ask you a question - another one?"

Elena shrugged and smiled. "That's partly why I'm here."

"Are Lotads Water Pokémon?"

"They're half-Water, half-Grass. If you're after one, you can get them on the route between Petalburg and Oldale. Good luck! See you in an hour or so."

Carla thanked Elena again and left the Centre, heading in the direction of the Mart. The sun was shining down from a beautiful blue sky; Carla couldn't help but smile.

_I am so glad that guy's OK._

She didn't think about the implications of that until much later.

xxx

"OK," Carla muttered to herself as she walked down the road yet again. "Find a Lotad, catch it, heal it, get some supplies and then _move on_."

_Is there a place in the area Lotads like to hang out? Or should I just walk around until I find one?_

Carla chose the latter option.

There were still very few clouds in the sky. Carla hoped it would stay dry tonight. Sleeping outdoors in the rain wasn't something she wanted to experience.

_Maybe there's a shop in town that sells tents. I hope they've got one that's easy to pitch - and that I've got enough money for it._

She was just about to step into a large patch of grass when it rustled. Carla stopped dead, watching the grass intently. She slowly reached for her bag, unzipped it and took out Kess' Pokéball.

The blades of grass parted and a small creature waddled out into the open. Its squat blue body and large yellow mouth were barely visible under the large green leaf on top of its head.

Carla couldn't believe her luck. She immediately called Kess out; the Torchic landed on the ground just in front of her opponent.

"Kess, use Scratch!"

The attack seemed to do a lot more damage than it had on the Zangoose; the Lotad was sent reeling backwards, scrabbling the ground with its stubby legs. It quickly righted itself and charged towards Kess, letting out a loud shout as it did so. It moved so fast that Carla didn't have a chance to tell Kess to dodge.

_That had to be Astonish._ "Hang in there, Kess." Carla watched as her Torchic got to her feet and fluffed up her feathers, glaring at the Lotad. "Use Ember!"

_The Lotad's half-Water, but it should do __**some**__ damage._

Carla took an empty Pokéball out of her bag and tossed it at the Lotad before it had time to recover from the small flames. It disappeared inside the capsule; the Pokéball rocked a few times before settling. Carla hurried over to check the grass hadn't ignited from Kess' Ember attack and sighed with relief when she saw it hadn't.

"Way to go, Kess! We got our first catch!" She knelt down and stroked Kess' head. "OK, let's check it out." She took her Pokédex from her bag to scan the occupied Pokéball. "It's a male. He doesn't know any Water moves, but he's bound to learn them soon, right? So, let's go back to the Centre and then we can meet our new friend!"

Kess cheeped enthusiastically.

xxx

"That was quick," Elena said when she saw Carla approach the desk again. "You found a Lotad, then?"

"Yeah. Could you get my team healed up, please?"

"Of course."

"Elena...do you have any idea when Lotads learn Water-type moves?"

Elena shook her head. "They don't until after they evolve. But don't worry - they evolve quite easily. Just make sure you give yours lots of water; his pad will wilt otherwise. If you aren't near a pond or a lake, just pour some water over it." She smiled at Carla. "I used to have a Lotad; I know how to care for them."

"Thanks."

Once Carla had her team back, she hurried back to her room and filled the bath halfway with tepid water. She called her two Pokémon out; they landed side by side on the bathroom floor.

"Hello," Carla said, kneeling down in front of them so she could address the Lotad. "My name's Carla, and this is Kess."

She held out a hand to him. He stepped forward and inspected her palm closely before looking up at her again.

Carla was uncertain. Did he like her? Dislike her?

She cleared her throat loudly. "You need a name. I'm going to call you 'Ferry'. That OK?"

He just continued to stare at her. His expression was completely unreadable.

"...You don't really care, do you?"

No response.

Carla picked Ferry up and put him in the bath. He immediately started swimming from one end of the bath to the other, his six short legs paddling furiously.

"What do you think?" Carla asked Kess. "Reckon he'll do?"

The Torchic chirruped again.

"I'll take that as a yes."

xxx

It was late afternoon by the time Carla finally left Petalburg City.

_I've no idea how long it'll take me to get to Rustboro City,_ she thought. _Lucky I've bought a cheap, easy-to-pitch, __**second-hand**__ tent_.

She didn't like the idea of sleeping in Petalburg Woods. On the other hand, since it was only a small forest, there might be no need for her to stay for the night.

Her first job was to get Ferry to respond to orders. She figured out quite quickly that there was no need for her to actively look for wild Pokémon - not now that she had two team members that could practise on each other.

They did a little bit of training on the beach, where the only wild Pokémon were in the sea. Of course, this didn't stop them from being challenged by other trainers.

Carla was just about to head in the direction of Petalburg Woods when her phone rang. Glancing at the screen, she saw it was her father and sat down on the nearest rock to take the call.

"Hi, Dad. Has the Surskit arrived yet?"

"Oh yes, he has. I've told Glennis to keep him in her bedroom and keep an eye on him while I tidy up."

"Tidy up what?"

"The mess the little blue menace made when he knocked over the coffee table."

Carla grimaced. "Did it have coffee on it?"

"Yes."

"Oh."

"At least Glennis seems to like him. She'll be leaving tomorrow when she gets her trainer's licence and her ID."

The wind from the sea was blowing Carla's hair into her eyes. She shivered and brushed some annoying strands away from her face. "She'll want to say goodbye to Derek first."

"I suppose she will," her father replied, his tone clipped and sharp. "But anyway - how are you?"

"I'm fine. I caught a Lotad."

"You've caught a Lotad? That's a fine choice to use against the Rustboro Gym Leader. You are aware she uses Rock-Types?"

Carla was taken aback. "I...wasn't going to battle her."

"You're not? Weren't you planning on collecting badges or taking the League challenge?"

"No." Carla realised she hadn't even _thought_ about badges - or about the League. She did know that not all travelling trainers were ambitious about becoming the champion: she'd heard stories about people who just travelled for the sake of it, or wanted to gain memorable experiences.

"Oh, are you going to become a coordinator? I hope you've picked up some useful ideas from watching Contests on TV, Carla."

In Hoenn, it wasn't unusual for several Contests to take place in a day. Only a few were aired on television. They were the ones with the best (or the most memorable) performances. Glennis and Carla liked to sit on the sofa together and watch them. They enjoyed commenting on the performances - and on the outfits the co-ordinators were wearing.

Actually _becoming_ a coordinator wasn't something Carla had considered.

_I guess I could try a Contest or two, to see if I'm good at them. I'll have to train my team up first and teach them some different moves..._

"Carla, promise me you'll take care of yourself no matter what you do."

"I will," Carla replied softly.

"_Promise_ me."

"I promise."

The phone emitted a soft beep, telling Carla that her dad had hung up. She stared at her phone for a few moments, listening to the sound of the waves.

_I don't know when I'm going to see him again. I might not see him or Glennis for ages. But that's the life of a trainer; I'm just going to have to get used to it._

She stood up and put her phone back into her bag, dusting the loose sand from the bottom of the bag in the process. Hoisting it onto her shoulders, she began walking towards Petalburg Woods.

**To be continued…**


	5. An Unexpected Companion

_**DISCLAIMER: **_**See Chapter One.**

_**Chapter Five**_

**An Unexpected Companion**

Carla was surprised at how peaceful Petalburg Woods was. The sky was almost completely hidden by a canopy of leaves; Carla couldn't help but admire the way the sunlight fell through gaps in the trees. Tiny groups of flowers could be seen growing at the bases of trees and out of large hedges.

_Those hedges didn't just grow naturally. Someone planted them._

Carla began to make her way down the path between the trees. Her feet made no sound on the thick grass.

After a few minutes of walking, she came across a large pond. She put her bag on the ground, took out an empty bottle and dipped it in the cool, clear water.

"Sure you want to do that?"

Carla quickly stood up and spun around. Leaning against a nearby tree was a red-haired boy wearing grey trousers and a blue T-shirt. It took Carla a moment to recognise him: he was the one who hadn't wanted to watch the cartoon at the Petalburg Pokémon Centre.

She hadn't even known he was there.

_No wonder Emily got ambushed by that guy. It must be really easy to sneak up on someone in a wood like this. I'm going to have to watch my back._

Carla put the lid back onto the bottle, dried it on her T-shirt and put it back in her bag. "Yes, I am. And anyway, it's not for me." When the redhead raised a thin eyebrow, she added: "It's for my Lotad."

She started walking again, stepping right into a patch of tall grass - and nearly tripping over what looked like a soft pink ball.

"Don't catch it!" she heard the redhead call from behind her.

"Catch it? Why would I want..." Carla looked down and saw a pair of malevolent-looking red eyes glaring up at her.

"Sid, use ThunderWave!"

Carla quickly jumped out of the way as a bolt of electricity shot right at the ball. It was a direct hit; little static sparks jumped around the creature's body.

"Hit it with Quick Attack!"

A Minun slammed into the ball, sending it flying into a tree. It hit the trunk heavily and fell onto the grass.

"Good job, Sid." The redhead threw a Pokéball at his target.

"Sure that's enough to catch it?" Carla asked.

"It should be. Hitting the tree ought to have dazed it." When the Pokéball stopped moving, the boy turned to Carla and said: "Thanks. I've been looking for a wild Cascoon."

"Why not just catch a Wurmple and train it?" Carla glanced at Sid, who was balancing himself perfectly on his tail.

The redhead sighed and rolled his eyes, returning his Minun. "Because if it had evolved into Silcoon, training it would have been a complete waste of time. I'm not interested in a Beautifly."

"Oh. OK." Carla moved down the path again. A moment later, she became aware that something was following her. She glanced over her shoulder; the redhead was only a little way behind her.

"What are you doing?"

"Going to Rustboro. You got a problem with that?"

"Not at all."

They continued walking. Carla was grateful her companion didn't seem to want to talk to her: she was enjoying the silence of Petalburg Woods too much. Everything seemed so relaxed, so...

...empty.

_It's too quiet._

The Cascoon was the only wild Pokémon she had encountered. Nothing else had appeared - not even a Zigzagoon or a Wurmple, and from what she had heard, those were the most common Pokémon in this area.

_There aren't any trainers here either._

Without warning, the large trees were replaced by half-grown saplings. Carla blinked as sunlight entered her eyes. She noticed black stumps dotted about between the saplings.

_I know where we are._

"This is the part those Magma grunts burned," she said to herself.

"Yup. Petalburg Woods was the first place the Champion fought Team Magma." The redhead laughed harshly. "Wonder what those goons think of the project to plant those saplings being led by _Maxie_ of all people. I bet that was a slap in the face."

_No wonder the wild Pokémon here are hiding. Their habitat's gone through a change and they're probably become scared of people._

Ahead of her, Carla saw a lake with a long wooden gangway stretching across it. The lake was much larger than the one between Oldale and Petalburg; Carla could see people sitting on the wood structure and casting rods into the blue water. To the right of the lake was a green building with a pink flower above the white doors; just outside the building were some berry trees. The fruit dangled temptingly from the branches.

"Do you think those trees belong to whoever owns that place?" Carla asked, pointing towards the green building.

"Dunno. If they're berry trees, they're pretty much fair game to anyone as long as you don't pick too many."

Carla headed towards the trees, passing a sign saying 'The Pretty Petal Flower Shop'. When she got to the nearest tree, she glanced towards the shop window. A slender brunette in a green apron was watering some brilliant scarlet flowers; she caught sight of Carla looking at her and smiled in a welcoming manner.

_Can I?_ Carla mouthed, pointing towards the trees. When she received a nod in reply, she picked two berries from each tree and slipped them into her bag. She figured the smaller ones might be more nourishing to her team than they would be to her.

She was surprised to see that the redhead was waiting for her.

"My name's Randall," he said as she approached.

"I'm Carla."

"Now that we _finally_ know each other's names, let's get going."

xxx

The best word to describe Rustboro City was _grey_. It was far different from the quiet, peaceful town of Oldale. Petalburg may have been a city, but it still had a rural atmosphere. There were no trees anywhere in Rustboro: just pewter-coloured buildings set on concrete.

_This is starting to become a pattern,_ Carla thought. _I meet someone in the woods and we walk together until we reach a town or city._

"Want to have a battle with me?" Randall asked suddenly as they neared a Pokémon Centre. "I want my Cascoon to evolve soon; it needs training up."

"Sure. Does he have a name?"

Randall gave her a withering look. "Did you _hear_ me call him anything? Anyway, you don't even know if it _is_ a he."

Carla shifted around slightly. "You can find out if I can scan it with my Pokédex." She took out the item in question. "Hold out your Cascoon's Pokéball."

Randall did so cautiously, as if worried Carla would snatch it and run off. Carla scanned the capsule and handed it back immediately. "It's a female."

"OK then, I'll name her Dusky. So..." Randall's entire posture changed; he set his shoulders back and planted his feet slightly apart. "...let's get started."

Carla stepped backwards until the two trainers were two metres apart. _I'll use Ferry for this battle. Kess has got a type advantage._ She enlargened Ferry's Pokéball and tossed it into the air; the Lotad landed on the ground a little way in front of Carla.

"Ready, Carla?" Randall called out his newly-named Cascoon.

"You bet. Ferry, use Nature Power!"

Ferry spat a large ball of mud right at Dusky. The Cascoon's entire body was soon covered in brown sludge; she fiercely blinked her crimson eyes open.

"Use Poison Sting, Dusky."

"Dodge it!" Immediately Ferry darted to his right. The poisonous shards missed him by inches.

_This isn't a fair fight. She can't dodge any of his attacks._

"Tackle attack," Randall ordered smoothly.

The Bug-type remained completely motionless.

Carla frowned; she knew Dusky had only just been captured, but this was the first time she'd ever seen a Pokémon disobey an instruction from its trainer. She wasn't sure what to do.

"Hey, you're weren't thinking of going easy on us, were you?" drawled Randall, folding his arms and leaning his head slightly to the left.

"No," Carla retorted. She had been planning to do just that, but there was no way she was going to let Randall know it.

"Good, 'cos it's not fair on your Pokémon if you do. Gym leaders don't let challengers beat them out of pity, and neither should you."

"She can't move," Carla growled. "I won't have Ferry attack her if she can't even..."

"Dusky used Poison Sting, didn't she? She can fight."

Carla clenched her fists, her nails digging into the soft flesh of her palms. "All right. Ferry, use Absorb."

Ferry began to glow green; Dusky's eyes widened in surprise as energy left her body and floated into Ferry's. The Lotad shook himself, apparently healed from the Tackle attack.

"Now use Nature Power again!"

"Poison Sting!" Randall yelled.

The two attacks met in mid-air; the Poison Sting flew right through the mud and hit Ferry directly in the face.

"Are you OK?" Carla cried. _A Poison move is double-effective against Grass-types._

Ferry stood his ground. Judging from the rise and fall of his lilypad, he was breathing heavily, but he didn't seem badly hurt.

_Let's end this battle._

"Ferry, use Astonish." Yelling loudly, the Lotad rushed towards Dusky, who simply closed her eyes and waited for the attack. She was sent cannoning backwards and landed at her trainer's feet.

Randall bent down and picked her up. "Good match," he commented dryly.

"Thanks." Ferry trotted up to Carla and looked up at her; she knelt and ran her hand over his lilypad. "You did great," she said, smiling. Ferry blinked in reply.

Carla poured a little water from the bottle over his lilypad before she returned him to his Pokéball. She glanced up at Randall, who was just placing Dusky's occupied Pokéball back into his knapsack. "Is she going to be OK?"

"Of course she is. Don't feel bad about winning - there are times as a trainer when you might have to be a _lot_ more ruthless than that."

Carla stood up, brushing dust off her jeans in the process. By now, it was early evening; the sun was sinking behind the city's buildings, making them cast long, thick shadows on the ground. It was growing cooler as well.

"Let's go and get our Pokémon healed up," she said. She headed towards the Pokémon Centre entrance, Randall close behind her. After they handed their teams over to the nurse on duty, Carla asked if there were any spare rooms.

"There are about five single girls' rooms and three boys' rooms. Will that suit you?"

"Oh, I don't want a room," Randall said quickly. "I'm going to train some more tonight."

Carla was only half-listening. Her eye had fallen on a pile of magazines lying on a nearby table. The one at the top of the pile had _Top Coordinator_ splashed across it in bold blue letters.

"Miss?" the nurse prompted. "Would you like a room?"

"That'd be great. Can I take a magazine upstairs with me?"

The nurse pursed her lips. "Well, I see no reason why you _can't_. Just make sure you put it back before you leave."

"I will."

"Are you planning on sticking around Rustboro for a bit, Carla?" Randall asked her.

"Um..." Carla shrugged lightly. "I don't know. I might."

The truth was, she really didn't know what her next move was going to be. She could either stay and train, like Randall was clearly going to do, or she could move on to the next town or city.

"Well, you do what you want. But I'll definitely battle you again one day, and things will be _very_ different with Dusky then. So you better watch out."

Carla felt a grin appear on her face at Randall's words. "I'll look forward to it."

xxx

"OK." Carla opened the magazine and studied the contents page. "There's an interview with someone who won a Master Rank Contest on page six. 'Lisia's Tips' is page ten. Hey, this is great - they've got Pokéblock recipes!"

Kess and Ferry were sitting next to her on the bed. Carla had the magazine on her lap; Kess looked down at the words as if she could understand them. Ferry simply nestled down on the duvet, blinking lazily.

Carla turned to page ten.

"_It is so, so important that your Pokémon look fantastic. Whenever Ali and I take part in a Contest, we make sure she's looking her absolute best and in tip-top condition! So give your Pokémon regular grooming sessions and you'll be sure to shine!"_

"You know what that means?" Carla asked Ferry. "It means you're going for another swim!"

Once the Lotad was swimming back and forth in the bath again, Kess started jumping up and down, chirruping and tipping her head back.

Carla frowned in confusion. "What is it, Kess?"

Kess hopped up to the bath, standing almost on the very tips of her claws.

"Do you want to see what he's doing?" Carla picked her up and put her on the rim of the bath, keeping a hand on the Torchic's back to steady her.

_The Contest halls are in Lilycove, Fallarbor, Verdanturf and Slateport. I think Slateport is the closest one to Rustboro, but I don't know __**how**__ close._

Kess shifted around, watching Ferry as he continued to swim. Without warning, she jumped right into the bath. Carla shrieked and moved to catch her, but Kess landed on Ferry's lilypad. The Lotad waited for Kess to get her balance before he started swimming again.

"No - you wanted a ride on his back!" Carla said, laughing.

_I hope figuring out what they want or mean is going to get easier._

**To be continued…**


End file.
